3.6 Assessment of PEG-FGF2 conjugates on skin wound healingin vivo
To confirm the positive wound healing effects of PEG-FGF2 conjugatesin vivo , wound closure was measured at days 0, 3, 5, and 7. These
PEF-FGF2 conjugates showed a certain function of wound healing compared
with the PBS control. Consistent with our in vitro results,
topical administration of 100 ng compound 6 significantly
accelerated wound healing compared to PBS treatment over the course of
the healing process (Figure 7A ). Quantitatively evaluation of
wound healing rate revealed that compound 6 was more effective
in wound healing compared to FGF2 (Figure 7B ).
The pathological morphology and diameters of cutaneous wounds at day 7
after surgery were assessed with Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining.
Wounds treated with compound 6 showed increased healing and
shorter diameter. This result further confirms the effectiveness of
compound 6 in cutaneous wound healing (Figure 7C ).
Collagen deposition after treatments was also detected by Masson’s
trichrome staining. As shown in Figure 7 D-E , different degrees
of collagen deposition were observed for these compounds. Sections of
wounds treated by compound 6 exhibited significantly higher
collagen deposition compared with wounds treated with unmodified FGF2,
indicating the improved therapeutic effect of compound 6 .
However, wound sections of compounds 5 and 7 exhibited
very little collagen deposition, consistent with the results of H&E
staining. The results together demonstrate that compound 6 is
more effective in promoting cutaneous wound healing in vivo .